I've had great success with natural antibiotics and am currently using them to treat small intestinal bacterial overgrowth which is exasperating my acne.. Many of them are also anti fungal which clears yeast out of your system as well. They strengthen the immune system, help circulation, digestion etc. Some can be strong so they can make you feel worse at first when you start taking them and may make breakouts temporarily worsen. This is due to the body being overloaded with toxins which are being released due to bad bacteria and yeast dying.

Hey everyone! Just curious if anyone else here has an intolerance to corn. It is probably the worst intolerance to have because corn is in absolutely EVERYTHING. Can anyone relate?

I have found corn in yogurt, in medication I take for anxiety/panic attacks, in most supplements, in canola oil, in dry shampoo and hairspray, makeup etc. It seems almost everything in the grocery store and anywhere for that matter has some form of corn in it since it can go by other names as well (eg. matodextrin.) Corn is added to almost all alcohol so I cannot drink too. In some ways having this intolerance is a blessing forcing me to eat healthy but in other ways it is so freakin' annoying! I am also intolerant to wheat so it makes my options very limited. I found out my intolerances through an elimination diet and highly suggest anyone to do the same!

What are your intolerances? do you find it near impossible to avoid them even at all costs?

Two of the supplements you take caused me the worst breakouts of my life:
Omega 3 fish oil gave me cystic acne - this is one of the only times I developed cysts in my life.
Probiotics - gave me millions of little papules all over my face and didn't stop until a week after I stopped taking them.

My advice is while these supplements are healthy in theory, myself and many other users of these boards have broken out from them. Try cutting them out and see if you notice a difference but give it at least another 2 weeks because the probiotic breakouts took a while to subside even after I stopped supplementing with them.

Tunnelvisionary - Really good tips here. I never even considered buying gelatin but that is a great way to help heal the gut. In regards to probiotics, I just found out a health food restaurant near me sells sauerkraut so I think I will pick some of that up and try again in small amounts. The probiotic I had did have dairy in it so I could have been reacting to it's effects. Also, good tip on telling me to relax. I have a problem with becoming obsessed about things and you are completely right to say that my expectations for myself are causing me stress. Why even have expectations? I need to practice meditating and living in the moment and accept that setbacks are a natural part of the journey. Thank you so much for the pep talk, it always helps when someone else shows you what is really important.

Corgisoulpower - You have a great energy as well and thank you for your comment. For so long I only lurked these message boards but I'm glad I joined because we all really help each other around here. Great advice about how foods make you feel physically and emotional after eating them - this says a lot about what is actually healing the body and what is harming it. I do cheat every once in a while if I get a craving, but the majority of the time I feel like shit after eating something I know I shouldn't have so that helps to prevent me from doing it again. Most bad foods I can't eat without getting a massive migraine so that helps to keep me away from the too. There are awesome healthy tasty recipes out there so focusing on cooking new things has been really fun.

When it comes to judging people it is hard because I work in the beauty industry around so many judgmental\vain people and clients. It's really corny but to me people are beautiful because of their personality and soul, not what they look like. I also think that people who look healthy are beautiful because that's what beauty really is all about! So many other people out there are very judgmental and it hurts when you can tell they are judging you for your skin. I hate it when people are speaking to me and will not look into my eyes, but scan my face looking at my imperfections. Even when my face was clear from Accutane I promised myself I would never do that to someone because it is really rude and hurtful. At the same time the mind is capable of creating something out of nothing and if we are insecure in the first place we can read too much into things. All I know is through acne I can tell that my boyfriend really loves me for who I am and also who my true friends really are. I have also realized how dead end my job really is and that it is time for me to move on to something better aligned with my interests, beliefs and goals. I'm going to make the list you suggested and I think that is a really great way to help through the rough times. Everything does happen for a reason and sometimes we can lose sight of the fact that acne changes us for the better and is just another challenge to overcome - mentally and physically. Thank you for the pep talk, it means a lot.

I hope by posting I can get people to really try changing their diet to control their skin. I never believed it made that much of a difference until I saw it for myself. I also really resent dermatologists, because if mine had told me to eliminate many of the things I was eating I would have done it in a heartbeat. I would have done anything for clear skin, which is why I took Accutane so many times. It would work for a year or two but always come back. Thankfully my liver was always and is healthy and I haven't suffered many side effects - that I know of yet - which is part of the reason I am so set on being healthy now. I want to live a long life.

So many foods give me migraines and I never had problems, other than through my skin, with them before. I am a vegetarian so I'm not sure about fish or meat because I don't eat them anyway. So far: milk, caffiene - coffee and tea, chocolate, papaya, tomato bases like ketchup and pasta sauce, banana, yoghurt, chickpeas, soy, sour cream, ice cream, soda, oranges, lemons, limes, alcohol, nuts, nut butters, msg, preservatives, and excess sugar. I have cut out a lot of gluten, sugars, and wheat myself solely for skin clearing reasons.

I eat eggs no problem and some cheeses. The best thing for my skin/health has been green smoothies! I love: beets, carrots, spinach, kale, herbs, apples, kiwi, berries, ginger, turmeric, and avocados. I mix a few of these ingredients in a smoothie everyday and my skin glows. Also drinking a lot of water and using a non irritating cleanser and moisturizer. Touching my face without washing my hands also caused some of my acne. I think the psychological part of acne really makes the condition worse as well. One day my boyfriend told me that if I stopped worrying about my skin it would clear up. I took his comment as being ignorant but he was actually right. The mind is a powerful thing - focus on positive thinking and don't let your skin affect your self worth. It really helps because once you let go and stop caring so much you can focus on the things that really matter. I still get a small zit every once in a while if I eat too much sugar or try and new food to see how it will affect me. But it doesn't bother me and goes away in two days.

Another option if you can't afford a juicer (I am saving up) is making the same ingredients in a smoothie. I have been making green smoothies for a few months and noticed a huge difference in my skin! I also cut out caffiene, sugar, alcohol, most dairy (I still eat eggs and cheese), meat, wheat and nuts. After being on Accutane at least 5 times in the course of my life I am finally 99% clear on my own!! I will never take it again, and the acne/oily skin would always just come back anyway. I am so much healthier being clear this way too! I struggled with acne since I was 12 and I'm now 23.

The best things I have found to help my skin are: beets, carrots, apples, spinach, kale, berries, kiwi, herbs, ginger, and turmeric. Diet really does work. I was never a believer until I was forced to change my diet because of extreme migraines. Sure enough my skin started clearing up. Then I started making smoothies daily and now I am clear. It's willpower and work but it is so worth it.

Just adding to thread, I completely believe that diet can tremendously help acne. I wouldn't say cure, because like others said there is no "cure" and we will always be "acne prone" it's simply genetics.

After going on Accutane at least 5 times, it might be more but I've lost count (3 full courses - the rest were half courses or low dose) I am 99% clear through diet alone. I developed acne at the age of 12 and am now 23. It took me this long to finally figure out the full connection, and it happened by accident. This past year my acne came back full force, like it always does after the Accutane wears off. You can imagine how bad my skin was if a dermatologist continually told me that Accutane is my only answer.

Recently I also developed severe migraines: intense head pain, ear pain, dizziness, vertigo, extreme sensitivity to sound and stroke like symptoms. Accutane is also known to cause migraines so taking this medication again is not an option for me. Migraines are know to be food triggered so I put myself on the migraine diet (very similar to a diet you would follow for acne.) What I realized is every time I ate a food I am allergic to I would get a migraine, for a while this was happening daily. Once I eliminated these foods (and trust me, it was hard but I had no choice or I would be in extreme pain) my skin also started clearing up. I was amazed!

In previous attempts to control my skin through diet I thought I was eating healthy and eating the right things but I was way off base. I couldn't give up certain things like my daily coffee (caffiene, milk and sugar - so bad for my skin) but through the help of my migraines I didn't have an option. I was using harsh cleansers, touching my face, not washing pillow cases etc. One of the other most important things I have also done for my skin is stop caring about it! I have always had huge self esteem issues regarding acne and never felt beautiful until I had 100% clear skin with Accutane. If I saw even one zit on my face I would freak out and act insecure.

What I have now realized is that acne doesn't matter. It doesn't make you any less beautiful, and people will treat you the same whether you have it or not. What matters is your attitude - towards others and towards yourself. The less you allow your skin to control your life, the more it will clear. Add a diet rich in healthy foods and avoid your known food sensitivities and you are well on the road to becoming clear.

It will be hard. You will have to sacrifice a lot. But think of how much healthier you will be in the long run. I have spent a lot of my life eating crap, drinking, doing drugs and partying. It hasn't got me very far. To have to give up alcohol, caffiene, chocolate, sugar, meat, wheat and most dairy has been hard and inconvenient. But I have never felt better! My migraine condition is also improving and I am on my way to being healthy for the first time ever. I will never take Accutane again.

Sorry if this is long, just wanted to share my story. DIET, LIFESTYLE and ATTITUDE affect acne more than I EVER thought possible.